Towel-holder.



R. E. HUDSON I W. P. BICKLEY.

TOWEL HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I6. 1917.

1,256,321 Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. E. HUDSON 6r W. P. BICKLEY.

TOWEL HOLDER.

rAPPLICATION FILED FEB.16,1911.

Patented Feb. 12,1918.

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RICHARD E. HUDSON AND WILLIAM P. BICKLEY, 0F FABMERSVILLE, TEXAS.

'TOWEL-Homann.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application inea February 1c, 1917. serial No. 149,047.

To all whom it may concern:

acter noted, which is so constructed as to provide a fresh, clean portion of toweling for each successive user, thereby complying with the sanitary regulations now current in most localities and, at the Same time, avoiding the expense of individual towel service.

According to the invention, a long, continuous strip of toweling is utilized, which is attached at opposite ends to a pair of rollers arranged within a cabinet, its intermediate portion being exposed for use. One of these rollers is provided with a crank or the like for effecting its rotation, so as to wind up thereon the used portion of the towel, and simultaneously unwind a fresh portion from the other roller, at each operav tion of the crank, the feed movement of the towel being maintained constant in its extent by means of a controlling device which, under normal conditions, partially or completely checks or prevents such movement, but which, on being operated, is initially released and then restored to active position.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved towel holder as it appears in use.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with the covers opened.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, broken horizontal section on line llt- 4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 55, Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a View of the controlling device in normal position.

Fig. 7 is a similar view, but showing said device in Aoperated position.

Referring more particularly to said drawing, 8 indicates the continuous strip of toweling, which is attached at opposite ends. in some suitable manner, to upper and lower rollers 9 and 10, arranged in the top and bottom portions of a cabinet 11, the latter being here shown as in the form of an elongated, rectangular case or box, though it may, of course, have any other shape deemed advisable. The cabinet is disposed in upright position, and is partly closed at its front by upper and lower hinged covers 12 and 13, the space between said covers being left open in order to expose for use a portion of the toweling strip.

The two rollers 9 and lO may have any desired mounting, as will be understood, but they are preferably removable from the cabinet in order to permit the toweling strip, when completely used up, to be replaced by a fresh one. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, which may be considered for all present purposes as preferred, the upper roller 9 is journaled at its ends in bearing openings provided in the side members of a three-part frame 14, which members, in turn, are slidably fitted on horizontal guides 15 fixed to the side walls of the cabinet and are hinged to the rear or central member of the frame. The arrangement is obviously such, therefore, as to permit the entire frame, and the roller supported therein, to be withdrawn bodily from the cabinet when theupper cover 12 is raised. The roller itself, moreover, is thus rendered demountable from its frame, owing to the jointed construction of the latter, and is preferably held in place, when in said frame, by a suitable spring 17. The lower roller 10, in the construction represented, functions as the winding-up means for the towel, and is, accordingly, equipped with a crank-handle 18or like device, for effecting its rotation. This handle is revolubly mounted in a hinged panel 19, provided in the adjacent side wall of thc cabinet, and is formed at its inner end with a square socket 20 to receive the similarly-shaped end or spindle of the roller` the other end of the latter being journaled in a bearing opening formed in a cleat 21, which is xed to the opposite side wall. The roller ends fit removably in the aforesaid bearing opening and socket; from which it follows that When the panel 19 is opened, the handle 18 will be disconnected from the roller, which may then be disengaged from the bearing opening and withdrawn from the cabinet after the cover 13 has been lowered. The handle is held in place by means of inner and outer collars 22 and 23, which are disposed against the opposite faces of the panel, the outer collar Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

23 being threaded on the shaft or stem portion of the handle, while the inner collar 22 is. fastened thereto by screws or the like, both collars turning with said handle when the latter is rotated. The panel is maintained in closed position by a pivoted catch 24.

vThe feed movement of the towelfrom `the uri-winding roller 9 to the wind-up roller 10 is controlled by means of a mechanism or device which not only regulates theV extent of such movement and, therefore, the length of the fresh lportion exposed at each operation of the iandle, but which also, in effect, releases or unlocks the towel to permit its movement, and then rengages it at the conclusion thereof. This device is located within the upper portion of the cabinet, so as to lie behind the cover 12,

when the latter is closed, and, in its pre--v ferred form. comprises a pair of co-acting gripping members 25 and 26, and a slide 27 for operating one of them.. The members 25 and 26 are here shown as constituted by rollers, which are arranged, with their axes co-planar, at opposite sides of the towel. The inner roller 25 is mounted somemouths of the guides.

The operating slide 27 above referred to, constitutes the controller proper, and may advantageously consist of a flat metal plate or bar, which is provided with a laterallybent head or push-button 33 at its front end, and at its rear end with a horizontal ledge or shoulder 34 and a finger 35, said finger terminating some distance short of the shoulder. It is held against one of the side walls of the cabinet by means of a pair of pins 36 and 37, which pass through front. and rear guide slots 38 and 39 and thus serve both to support said slide and to limit the extent of its movements in both directions, its forward movement being caused by a spring 40 which is connected to its rear end and tends to normally maintain it in the position shown in Fig. 6. The parts 34 and 35 of the slide are designed forA co-action with a pair of pins, studs or analogous projections 4l and 42, which extend laterally from the adjacent end of the roller 25. These pins 41 and 42 are se positioned with relation to the slide, that when the latter weasel isin its normal position, the shoulder 34 will directly overhang and engage the pin 41, while the pin 42 will -lie in the path of movement of the linger 35. The toweling strip, as previously explained, passes between the rollers 25 and 26 and 1s gripped thereby, so that any downward movement of the towel will necessarily entail a clockwise rotation of roller 25.; but since the roller pin 4l is directly engaged by the shoulder 34 on the slide, any such movement of the roller will be completely precluded, and the towel itself will, in consequence, be partially or entirely checked or prevented from being fed. On the other hand, when the slide is pushed inward by means-of its head or button 33 into the position represented in Fig. 7, the shoulder 34 will be carried out of engagement with pin 41,y and immediately thereafter the finger 35 will engage pin 42 and, as the inward movement of the slide continues, will cause the roller to rotate. This movement of the roller carries pin 41 past and above the shoulder 34, so that when theslide is released and is returned to its outward position by the spring 31, such returnmovement will entail no rengagement'of the parts 34 and 41 at that time. The handle 18 may then be turned, so as to effect the feed of the towel, during which time therollers 25 and 26 are rotated, as will be understood. When roller 25 completes a revolution, its pin 41 will again strike against shoulder 34 on the slide, which is then in its normal position, as will be understood, whereupon further rotation of said roller is arrested and the feed of the towel is terminated, the said roller having a diameter such that the amount of fresh towel exposed thereby will he sufficient for the user. The nger 35 on the slide is made thin enough to be flexible, and is preferably bent slightly outward, so as to permit the pin 42 to pass by it as the roller finishes its rotary movement.

The entire invention, its mode of operation and advantages. are believed to be fully apparent from the foregoing and. hence, to require no further explanation. It. is to be understood, however, that no limitation to the precise structure shown and described is contemplated or intended, since the invention is obviously susceptibleof modification and change within its scope as claimed.

We claim as our invention:

1. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet.; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a pair of co-acting gripping members engaging the towel between them, and a device having a shoulder which is normally held in direct and .positive engagement with one of said gripping members so as to lock the latter against movement and thereby prevent the movement of Leeaai able to successively release its shoulder from such engagement and positively shift the shoulder-engaging gripping member temporarily out of position for rengagement.

2. A towel holder, comprising,- in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a pair of co-acting gripping members engaging the towel between them, and a slide having a shoulder u hich is normally held in direct and positive engagement with one of said gripping members so as to lock the latter against movement and thereby prevent the movement of the towel, said slide being directly operable to successively release its shoulder from such engagement and positively shift the shoulder-engaging gripping member temporarily out of position for rengagement.

3. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a pair of co-acting gripping members engaging the towel between them, one having a projection, and a device with which said projection is normally in direct and positive engagement, whereby the projection-carrying member is locked against movement and preventsthe movement of the towel, said device being directly operable to successively release it from such engagement and positively move said projection-carrying member temporarily out of position for rengagement.

el. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a pair of co-acting gripping members engaging the towel between them, one having a projection, and a device having a shoulder which is normally in direct and positive engagement with said projection, whereby the projection-carrying member is locked against movement and prevents the movement of the towel, said device being directly operable to successively release its shoulder from such engagement and positively shift said projection-carrying member temporarily out of position for reengagement.

5. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a pair of co-acting gripping members engaging the towel between them, and a device which is normally locked directly to one of said gripping members so as to hold the latter against movement and thereby prevent the movement of the towel, said device being directly operable to successively interrupt such-locking engagement and move the locking gripping member temporarily out of position for reengagement.

6. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller withinthe cabinet embodying a gripping roller which is provided with a pair of projections, and a device having a shoulder normally engaged with one of said projections, so as to hold said roller against rotation and thereby prevent the movement of the towel, but releasable therefrom to permit-such movement; said device having a part arranged to engage the other projection after such release has taken place, so as to rotate said roller and thereby prevent the rengagement of the first projection by said shoulder immediately upon the return of said device to normal position.

7. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a gripping member which is provided at one end with a pair of laterally-projecting pins, and a slide provided with a shoulder normally engaged with one of said pins, so as to hold said member against movement and thereby prevent the movement of the towel, but releasable therefrom to permit such movement; said slide having a part arranged to engage the other pin after such release has taken place, so as to shift said pin-carrying member and thereby prevent the rengagement of the first pin by said shoulder immediately upon the return of said slide to normal position.

8. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet; and a controller within the cabinet embodying a gripping roller which is provided with a pair of laterally-projecting pins located at one end thereof, and a. slide provided with a shoulder normally cngaged with one of said pins, so as to hold said roller against rotation and thereby prevent the movement of the towel, but releasable therefrom to permit such movement; said slide having a part arranged to engage the other pin after such release has taken place, -so as to rotate said roller and thereby prevent the re'engagement of the rst pin by said shoulder immediately upon the return of said slide to normal position.

9. A towel holder, comprising, in combination, a cabinet having a front cover, and horizontal uides fixed to the inner faces of the side wa ls of the cabinet directly behind said cover; a three-part frame embodying apair of side members slidably fitted on said guides and provided with bearing openings, and a central member to whose ends the rear ends of said side members are hinged; and a roller to which the towel is connected having its ends detachably fitted in said bearing openings; said frame, with the roller therein, being removable bodily from the cabinet when said cover is raised, to permit the roller to be demounted from the frame after the side members of the latter have been swung outward.

10. A towel holder comprising, in combination, a cabinet having a front cover, and

horizontal uides fixed to the inner faces of the side we ls of the cabinet directly behindsaid cover; :t three-part frame embodying n pair of side members slidably fitted on said guides and provided with bearing openings, and a central member to whose ends the rear ends of said side members are hinged a roller to which the towel is connected having its ends detachably fitted in said bearing openings; said frame, with the roller therein, being removable bodily from the cubinet when said-cover is raised, to permit the roller to be demounted from the frame after nemesi the side members of the latter have been swung outward; and a controller normally 15 preventing the feed movement of the towel, but releasable to permit such movement.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of tW'o subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD E. HUDSON. WILLIAM P. BICKLEY.

Witnesses:

J. E. SHANNON, i J. M. HARDIN. 

